Shimla, May 17:Even as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu directed the Forest Development Corporation to stop outsourcing work to private contractors and take direct charge of extracting nearly 10,000 stumps of cider wood, experts believe this is just the beginning of a long-overdue course correction.
For years, private contractors have called the shots in Himachal's forest-based operations—allegedly indulging in unfair practices, cornering profits, and undercutting the state’s potential revenue.
In a meeting of the Pricing Committee chaired by the CM, fresh rates for non-timber forest produce and royalty were also approved.
However, it was the decision to halt contractor dependence that stood out. Sukhu categorically told the Forest Corporation to prepare a roadmap for in-house extraction of cider stumps—aimed at curbing leakages and boosting transparency.
Despite the move, many in forest and environmental circles argue that the Forest Corporation has only scratched the surface.
“This decision was long pending. The state has been losing crores due to underreporting, mismanagement, and over-exploitation by private contractors. The question is—why now?” said a retired forest officer on condition of anonymity.
Meanwhile, the Forest Corporation presented a cheque of Rs. 41.30 crore to the CM, generated from silviculture felling of Khair and Saal trees.
While this is being projected as a success story, critics point out that if operations had been fully in public hands, the revenue could have been significantly higher.
Silviculture felling, cleared by the Apex Court, is said to be not just ecologically sound but also economically rewarding.
Yet the state's failure to build internal capacity and its overreliance on contractors has kept it from harnessing the full benefits.
The CM also emphasized fire preparedness ahead of peak summer, directing the forest department to involve local communities more actively and enhance survival rates of planted saplings.
He reviewed various forest schemes and stressed the timely disposal of salvage trees to prevent losses and improve revenues.
Present at the meeting were State Forest Development Corporation Vice-Chairman Kehar Singh Khachi, Additional Chief Secretary (Forest) K.K. Pant, HoFF Samir Rastogi, MD Sanjay Sood, and other senior officials.
